


A challenge

by DracoIgnis



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Dragons, Durmstrang, F/M, Flirting, Jonerys, Magic, Triwizard Tournament, Yule Ball (Harry Potter), relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-27 03:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20941271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DracoIgnis/pseuds/DracoIgnis
Summary: Durmstrang Institute student Jon has been selected as a Champion for the Triwizard Tournament. However, he only has his eyes on one prize - Hogwarts' own Champion Daenerys Targaryen. A Jonerys AU short story set in the Harry Potter universe.





	A challenge

..

Having spent a week at Hogwarts, Jon decided he didn’t care much for the school.

The students were too narrow minded and faithful to their own house only. In fact, the one time he dined with the Slytherins, he heard more derogatory slurs in one evening than he had in his seven years at Durmstrang Institute. If anyone at his school had spoken in that manner about a fellow student, they would’ve been punished. Here, however, it seemed the norm; students were pitted against one another, and they were expected to show absolute loyalty to whatever characteristics some old hat decided for them to have.

If he hadn’t been named a Champion for the Triwizard Tournament, Jon would’ve requested his leave. The day of the selection, he had returned to their ship to pack his belongings and prepare an owl with a message for his classmates. _ I shall return at once, _ was all it said. But he never got to send it; the Goblet of Fire spat out his name, and he had no choice but to rejoice in the celebrations that followed.

_ But I long for my dark northern nights, _ Jon thought, his fingertips slipping across the stone wall. He was walking about at random, exploring the grand castle bit by bit. No matter where he went, he found empty classrooms lit by torches, and fires burning in cosy study rooms. _ I miss the cold, and I miss the company. _

As if on cue, he turned a corner and grunted as he bumped into a person. “I’m sorry,” he spoke at once before looking at the student before him. _ The Gryffindor girl, _ he thought, and his eyes widened slightly.

It was Daenerys Targaryen, Hogwarts’ own Champion; she was a lass of seventeen with bright silver hair and violet eyes. He had only spoken to her once - as their names had been announced, they were invited to the headmaster’s office for a chance to meet and learn about each other. In truth, it had been an awkward hour of polite silence. The headmaster had done all the talking, constantly repeating cliches such as: “This is your chance to shine!”, and: “Friendship before winnership.” Jon still wasn’t sure that was even a word.

“All is forgiven,” Daenerys said bluntly and did a little curtsy.

Jon smiled at her gesture and returned it with a deep bow. “I am thrilled to hear that.”

Daenerys chuckled as she crossed her arms. “Well, fancy running into you, Jon,” she spoke and cocked her head. “I thought all the Durmstrangs went back to the ship.”

“I get seasick easily,” Jon said. It was a lie, and he didn’t know why he said it, but it seemed to amuse Daenerys.

“Is that so? I am sure there is a spell against that,” she spoke.

“There is. It’s called, stay on land.”

Daenerys raised her brows at Jon as she fiddled with her tie. It was striped in the colours of Gryffindor - red and yellow. “How unusual. I wonder whose dormitory you will find rest in,” she said with perfect innocence.

“I am still deciding,” Jon replied, his eyes lingering on her lips.

Daenerys was a wanted woman, that much he knew. Just like girls followed him around, their hands feeling up his fur cloak and red robes, she was admired by many male students. He had seen them slip her notes during breakfast, some of them so bold it made her cheeks go pink. But right now she was not blushing, not even as he reached out to swoop a lock of her silver hair away from her face. Instead, something seemed to stir in her bright eyes.

“Well, Jon, I hope you find a fitting place to rest,” she said as she walked on. She twirled the loose lock around her fingertip and eyed him as she passed him by. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Jon replied, watching her over his shoulder as she trudged down the hallway. She looked cute in her grey skirt, he thought. _ But you’d look even cuter with those lips on mine, _ he decided.

* * *

The second time Jon ran into her, he was more blunt: “You look like you’d fit right on my arm.”

They were outside the great hall. Breakfast had been announced, and the smell of warm bread, sizzling bacon and fried egg filled the hallways. Still, Jon could only focus on Daenerys as she stood waiting for her friends.

She had been looking up the stairs, but at his words she turned to face him and smiled in surprise. “Oh, Jon, it’s you.” She straightened her jumper as she eyed him shyly. “What was that about your arm?”

“You’d fit right on it, I reckon.”

“Whatever for?”

“Many things,” Jon shrugged. _ Holding each other. Feeling each other. Kissing. _ “I hear Hogwarts hosts a Yule Ball. I would very much like to have a date.”

“Well, you’re in luck,” Daenerys spoke, “because many girls fancy you, even from Ravenclaw. To think that they’re supposedly the clever ones!” As she spoke, she looked Jon up and down and quirked her brows.

He could’ve been insulted, but her lips shivered as she tried to hold back a laugh. When he noticed it, a smile spread across his own face. “Is that so?” he said and leaned against the wall as he watched her. “And what do the Gryffindor girls say?”

Daenerys bit her lower lip. “Oh, I wouldn’t know. I don’t listen to gossip.”

“Yet you know what the Ravenclaws think?” In the same, a pair of girls in blue collared robes came walking past them. As they noticed Jon, their faces turned bright red, and they hurried onwards whilst whispering hotly between themselves.

Daenerys chuckled: “It doesn’t exactly take a bright mind to figure that out.”

“I take it you have a date already?”

“Whatever makes you think that?”

“Perhaps the way you’re avoiding my questions.”

“I don’t remember you asking any,” Daenerys retorted and held her hand to her chin in a pondering manner. “I do remember you saying, _ You look like you’d fit right on my arm, _ which is in fact a statement!” As Jon flushed, she smirked: “Perhaps they don’t give you many language lessons at Durmstrang?”

“I was told Gryffindors were known for their courage, and I see you have plenty of it,” Jon said, leaning in a bit closer. Daenerys didn’t step away, rather she looked up at him from between her black eyelashes.

“And I was told Durmstrangs were known for their inclinations toward the Dark Arts,” Daenerys said.

Jon wrinkled his nose. “What of it?” he asked. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to defend his school’s stance on teaching curses. Wherever he went, wizards seemed fond of bringing up the fact that the Dark Arts was an ancient subject unsuitable for teaching. Hogwarts was no different; despite the interest a few Slytherin students had shown when the subject was brought up, most of them talked to him as if he was dim witted.

“You wouldn’t teach a kid to fear fire by putting their hands in the flames,” one had said, and now it seemed Daenerys was about to do the same.

But, to Jon’s surprise, instead of admonishing him, Daenerys lowered her voice and tip-toed to whisper to his face: “Well, Hogwarts teaches _ Defence _ Against the Dark Arts, which means I am more that suitably equipped to handle anything you may throw my way.”

Their gazes locked, and Jon found himself licking his dry lips in anticipation when a voice broke the tension:

“Dany, sorry I’m late!”

Jon glanced toward the student who ran up to hug Daenerys. She was tall with a black curls, her tie red and yellow akin Daenerys’. When she turned to look at Jon, her brown eyes turned from friendly to perplexed.

“Missandei, this is Jon,” Daenerys introduced them.

Before Jon could say anything, the girl nodded. “Oh, I know. Your name is on the lips of every Gryffindor girl.”

“Is that so?” Jon said and raised his brows with a smile.

Daenerys flushed behind her friend and grabbed at her arm. “Well, we’re late for breakfast,” she said and nodded at Jon. “Good day.”

“It is now!” Jon gave them a little wave as he watched them take off into the great hall, and he felt his heart skip a beat as Daenerys’ violet eyes glanced back over her shoulder toward him. 

* * *

“Five people have asked me out so far.”

Jon leaned over the chair to peek at Daenerys’ face. She didn’t even turn to greet him, merely flipped the page in her book as she replied with a careless: “Congratulations.”

The library was mostly swept in darkness. It was almost 8pm, and Madam Pince had started walking the floor to remind all students to be ready to leave on time. Whenever she came across an empty table, she used her wand to snuff off the bright chandeliers. The fixture above Daenerys’ was one of the few still alight.

Jon slipped his hands behind his back as he walked back and forth behind her chair, his gaze searching the shelving units around them. “Why are you studying at this time of night?” he asked.

“It’s hardly night,” Daenerys replied, flipping another page.

Jon glanced out the dark windows. A light flutter of snow was visible in the air, but not much else. “Looks like night to me.”

“I am not studying,” Daenerys said. “I am reading.”

“So you are studying,” Jon concluded.

“Reading for _ pleasure,_” she specified. With a sigh, she leaned back in her chair as she looked toward him. “You may have heard of it.”

“Sounds like a muggle thing to do,” Jon teased.

“Oh, that’s true - Durmstrang doesn’t allow muggle-born students.” Daenerys stretched and groaned as her body cracked. She’d been sitting bent over for too long, and her shoulders were sore. “Here, I am an excellent student, whilst at Durmstrang I would not be a student at all! Peculiar, isn’t it?”

“You’re muggle-born?” Jon spoke in awe. Truth be told, the idea hadn’t even crossed his mind.

“Imagine how shocked my brother was when he was told the truth,” she smiled. She pulled her feet up onto the chair and wrapped her arms around her legs. “He was furious that _ he _ wasn’t the one born with powers.”

“And now?” Jon asked, leaning onto the chair next to her. He watched her lips fall into a sad smile as she spoke:

“Now, he writes letters to the Ministry of Magic, demanding that he’s considered for a position due to his vast knowledge of the wizarding world.” She rolled her eyes as if she didn’t care, but there was something strained about her tone of voice. “I never send them, of course. I just tell him that I have.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I was brought up to believe that I was a muggle,” Jon said.

Daenerys quirked her brows at him. “How’s that even possible?”

“Well, everyone in my family is a wizard. _ Stepfamily_, that is. My stepmother always told me that magic just wasn’t suited for everyone. She said I should be grateful to even know of this world.”

“That’s cruel,” Daenerys said and rested her chin on her knees. “When did you find out?”

“Durmstrang Institute pretty much demanded my attendance.” Jon pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. He fiddled with a curly lock of his hair as he spoke, wondering why he was sharing all this with her. But still he continued: “Turns out, I come from a line of magic. Powerful magic. It was always meant to be.”

“Must be nice,” Daenerys said wishfully as she glanced out the window. The snow was coming down quicker now, and the bottom glass was turning frosty. “I sometimes feel like it’s a mistake that I am here.”

Jon bit his inner cheek as he watched her. For a moment, she looked so frail he just wanted to wrap his arms around her and let her know that everything would be okay. But though his fingertips tickled, he resisted. Instead, he looked at her book. “What’s that about, anyway?”

Daenerys closed the book so she could show him the cover. Imprinted on the thick leather casing there was a giant, fire-breathing beast. “Dragons,” she said and smiled.

“Why dragons?” he asked and wrinkled his nose.

“Well-” she started, but something in her made her stop. She watched him with curiosity, almost as if she was trying to read his mind.

Under her scrutiny, Jon flushed. “What?” he asked. “What’s that look for?”

“How many did you say asked you out?”

“Five,” Jon said, before sitting up a bit more straight. He tried to sound nonchalant as he added: “And that was just today!” It was a lie, of course. He wondered when he got so used to twisting the truth. He didn’t normally, but something about Daenerys made him want to impress her. More so when she pushed her fingers through her braided locks and gave him an alluring look.

“That’s a lot of girls.”

“Sure is,” Jon nodded, but swiftly added: “I haven’t accepted yet.”

“Waiting for the right one?”

Jon licked his lips. “Hoping she’ll say yes.”

Daenerys’ eyes twinkled, and she drummed her fingertips across the leather as she gave him a thoughtful look. “Tell you what,” she said, “if you get more points than me in the first challenge, I’ll decorate that arm of yours.”

Jon’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah?”

“Oh yeah,” she repeated with a smirk.

“And if you get more points than me?”

“Then I’ll give you a challenge to complete.”

Jon’s eyes narrowed. “What’s the challenge?”

“I guess,” Daenerys said and leaned in, “you’ll just have to take the chance?”

The light above them flickered. Then at once, it died out. Madam Pince’s voice echoed through the library: “Closing time!”

Jon got up and waited for Daenerys to put her book away. They then walked side by side out of the library. “So, what do you say?” she asked once they stood outside the closed doors. “Do you accept?” She held out her hand, and Jon watched it for a moment before giving it a shake, a confident smile on his lips:

“It’s a deal!”

* * *

“You tricked me!”

As Jon entered the tent, Daenerys laughed; he was covered in sod from head to toe, so much so that even the red in his garbs didn’t shine through. A little flame still burned in his fur, and she swiftly killed it with a flicker from her wand. “You look a mess!”

“You tricked me!” Jon repeated. As she handed him a wet towel, he accepted it and rubbed his face clean. Once the sod was off, she could tell that his eyes were not angry, but rather perplexed. “How did you do it?”

“Do what?” Daenerys asked innocently. She then faked a gasp: “Oh! You mean, charm the dragon so I could steal the egg and get out unscathed?”

“Yes, _ that_,” Jon said.

“I guess it pays off to read for fun.”

Jon shook his head, and ashes danced through the air. “You knew we would be fighting dragons, and you didn’t tell me.”

“If I had, you might’ve won.”

“You had an advantage.”

“No,” Daenerys denied, “all I had was information.”

“That’s cheating,” Jon retorted.

Daenerys shrugged with a little smile. “Told you - it pays off to read. If you’d paid a bit more attention, you might’ve gotten the hint!”

Jon sat down with a groan. Outside, the sounds of the Beauxbaton student fighting her way to the egg could be heard. There was a lot of shouting from the stands, but to Jon all the noises were dulled. He rubbed the towel in his ear to clear his hearing. “Well, it’s decided. You’re getting more points than me.”

“It’s not been announced yet,” she reminded him.

Jon gave her a weak smile. “Look at you,” he said and gestured at her. She was completely clean and unharmed in her uniform. “There is no way you’ll get less while looking like that.”

“Like what?” she smirked.

“Like magic.” The moment the words left his lips, Daenerys blushed furiously, and he silently congratulated himself. He leaned back in the chair and sighed: “Well, looks like it will be a challenge for me. Whatever do you have in mind?”

Daenerys bit her tongue and eyed him with ponder. “Well, why don’t you turn up to the Yule Ball and see,” she said.

Jon looked back at her with tired eyes as he thought, _ There goes my chance at dancing with the prettiest girl in Hogwarts. _ But he nodded: “Okay then,” because he wasn’t one to back out of a bet.

* * *

The great hall was covered in snow. Grand ice sculptures decorated six round tables, complete with festive food and magical drinks pippling in a fountain. Jon breathed in the cool air the moment the doors opened, and he watched as the many couples pushed their way inside, all of them shouting in amazement.

As the front hall emptied, he stood alone, his hands resting on his back as he tried to retain a neutral expression. In the end, he had not gotten a date. He could’ve - after all, Daenerys never forbade him seeing others. But he decided that it wasn’t right to accept any girl whom he didn’t fancy.

_ There is only one person that I want, _ he thought, his chest clenching sadly, _ but it seems she hasn’t even showed. _ In truth, he wasn’t sure if Daenerys had a date herself. Because of this, he had remained in the shadows, eyeing every student that passed him by, but he had yet to lay eyes on her. _ Maybe this is her challenge - to have me face these people alone, looking like a downright lunatic. _

As the last student entered the hall, Jon took in a deep breath and turned toward the doors himself, but a voice stopped him:

“Surely you’re not leaving me already?”

Jon turned to look up the stairs, and his mouth fell open in astonishment.

There she stood, Daenerys Targaryen - her silver hair was braided and pulled back in a bun, her lips were coloured deep red, and her dress was as if aflame, a grand gown of silk with embroidered flames slipping up her legs. As she approached him, he tried to regain his posture, but he still found himself gawking at her.

“You look-” He paused as he was lacking the words to describe what he was seeing.

Daenerys replied boldly: “Like magic?”

Jon laughed in disbelief and nodded. “Yes, exactly like that.”

“I thought I would pay homage to our first challenge,” she said and swayed her hips, causing the flames on her dress to glimmer in the light. “Does it suit me?”

“As much as you suit me,” Jon replied, finally founding courage.

Daenerys’ cheeks turned pink. She grabbed a hold of his arm, and he led her inside the hall, his gaze never leaving her. “You still don’t know your challenge,” Daenerys reminded him, watching her heels as she stepped onto the enchanted snow. It clung onto the hemline of her dress, making it look as if the flames were rising from the ice.

“Enlighten me.”

Daenerys smiled up at him. As music started playing in the hall, she slipped her arms around his neck, tip-toed to his lips, and whispered: “Your challenge is not to kiss me ‘till the end of the night.” She waved her lashes at him, smiling ever so sweetly as she spoke: “Think you can manage that?”

“What happens if I fail?” Jon asked, his own cheeks going red. With her this close, he was sure she could feel how quickly his heart was beating in his chest.

“Then I guess I would have to punish you - perhaps with some reading?” She cocked her head to the side and grinned, and Jon laughed as he pulled her toward the dancefloor.

“Well, I better remain strong, then!” he said.

As they danced through the night, the challenge was soon forgotten, and in between the falling snow and glimmering ice sculptures, they shared several kisses, warm enough to melt the ice.

**Author's Note:**

> Day seven is upon us! On request from DragonandDirewolf (who created the lovely art), it is Harry Potter themed. Hope you all liked it! It was definitely a challenge to place these two lovebirds into a different world of magic, but a fun one! Thanks for all your comments and support. I hope we can keep this up and post once a day through the month!


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